Respiratory

Respiratory diseases are diseases that affect the airways, the bronchi and the lungs. They include acute infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, and chronic conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Using large electronic databases, we study the long-term effects and outcomes of treatment for these chronic respiratory diseases. Asthma and COPD are very common illnesses, in which patients suffer from episodes of acute deteriorations of respiratory function termed exacerbations. There is increasing understanding that asthma and COPD are part of a spectrum of obstructive airway diseases consisting of complex subtypes which share certain characteristics (phenotypes) but differ in terms of prognosis.